Electrochemical and mechanical properties of nanochitin-incorporated PVDF-HFP-based polymer electrolytes for lithium batteries

Nanocomposite polymer electrolytes (NCPE) composed of poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and chitin for different concentrations of LiClO4 have been prepared by a hot-press technique. The prepared NCPE films were subjected to XRD, SEM, FTIR and tensile analyses. The thermal stability of NCPE membrane was investigated by TG-DTA. Ionic conductivity studies have also been made as a function of lithium salt concentration for different temperatures ranging from 0 to 80 A degrees C. The polymeric membrane comprising PVDF-HFP/chitin/LiClO4 of ratio 75:20:5 (wt.%) offered maximum ionic conductivity. Thermal study reveals that these membranes are stable up to 260 A degrees C.